A panel of heavy-duty truck maker representatives will discuss what they're doing to meet greenhouse gas/fuel economy regulations for 2014 and beyond, the current and future status of alternative fuels, hybrid/electric and more at the Green Fleet Conference Oct. 2 in Phoenix.

New York City has passed a new law requires the City fleet to use a B5 biodiesel blend in its vehicles beginning July 1, 2014 and a B20 blend starting July 1, 2016, from April to November each year, according to the Renewable Energy Group. This new law will affect approximately 6,000 vehicles, according to REG.

Eaton recently discontinued its Hydraulic Launch Assist system, a parallel hydraulic hybrid well-suited to the stop-and-go world of refuse trucks. That leaves the RunWise Advanced Series Hybrid drive system from Parker to serve the market, where both systems had built up some market share.

The Green Fleet Conference, Oct. 1-2 in Phoenix, has added a panel discussion of truck maker representatives to discuss what they're doing to meet greenhouse gas/fuel economy regulations for 2014 and beyond, the current and future status of alternative fuels, hybrid/electric and more.

Kenworth delivered its first full-production truck powered by the new 400-hp Cummins Westport ISX12 G natural gas engine during a special roll-out ceremony Tuesday before employees at the Kenworth assembly plant in Renton, Wash.

Smith Electric Vehicles has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture with Taikang Technology Corp. in Taiwan. Taikang Technology, a commercial vehicle manufacturer in Taiwan, has twenty-five years of automotive experience and has expertise in upfitting specialized municipal commercial vehicles.

The City of Columbus plans to build a second compressed natural gas fueling station scheduled to open in March of 2014. The new station will service the City’s northern refuse fleet operation, which has more than 65 vehicles, its Planning & Operations Division, which has more than 45 vehicles, and other City divisions.

At the 2013 Green Fleet Conference & Expo, keynote speaker Kipp Coddington will discuss how the Obama Administration’s policies will affect environmental and energy initiatives. Coddington heads an energy and environmental law firm in Washington, D.C. that focuses on the Clean Air Act, fossil fuels and fleet issues.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $19 million New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program to encourage the purchase of battery-electric commercial trucks as well as other energy-efficient transportation, including hybrid and compressed natural gas trucks.

As interest in natural gas power broadens, Freightliner is adding options that appeal to fleets wanting greater range and fuel savings technologies. The company plans to increase the operating range of some natural-gas-fueled trucks out to 800 miles.

The closing keynote address at the 2013 Green Fleet Conference Oct. 2 in Phoenix will focus on grants and funding to help subsidize green fleet initiatives. Richard Battersby is the director of fleet services at University of California, Davis, and is Coordinator of the East Bay Clean Cities Coalition.

CORRECTED -- Kenworth Truck Co. sees a lot of promise in natural gas-powered vehicles, so it featured them last week at gatherings for dealers, customers and trade press writers at its plant in Chillicothe, Ohio. But diesel-powered trucks form a huge majority of those on the road and will continue to dominate the Class 8 business, one of the company’s executives commented to reporters.

Ryder System has opened the first natural gas fueling stations in its North American network to serve both the general public and Ryder lease and rental customers, located in Orange and Fontana, Calif.

Omnitek Engineering has been selected by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for a pilot project to demonstrate its diesel-to-natural gas engine conversion technology for drayage trucks serving the Port of Seattle, Wash., in support of the Port's Clean Truck Program.

The 2013 Green Fleet Conference & Expo in Phoenix Oct. 1-2 will for the second year feature a special track for trucking fleets, covering topics such as idle reduction, natural gas, propane, biodiesel, and case studies of fleets using alternative fuels.

Procter & Gamble is extending its commitment to a more sustainable supply chain by becoming one of the first large shippers to convert a significant percentage of its for-hire truck loads to natural gas.

Despite all the publicity and development of new products from truck and equipment manufacturers, especially for natural gas, trucks that run on gases and liquids other than diesel and gasoline are still a small minority of all those being bought in recent years, acknowledged panelists at the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo, which runs this week in Washington, D.C.